


Pocket Watches and Photographs

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, antique shop au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 17:10:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1274467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modernverse AU in which Levi is a spoilt little hipster taking an English Literature degree at Uni (in his final year of the BA) and Erwin owns an antiques shop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_'I swear to god if we have one more fucking lecture about Shakespeare, I'm going to punch his fucking dick so hard he won't breathe for a month.'_ Silently sighing to himself, Levi ran a hand through his hair before going back to typing his notes on his MacBook. 'I guess that's what I get for choosing to study English Literature.'

Levi didn't always take education seriously; when he was 14 he smoked his days away with weed in hopes of getting some recognition from his parents; all they did was give him more money when he asked for it over the phone. When he was 16, he slept with anyone and everyone; girls, guys, men and women- he didn't care to be honest. He didn't care about his parents at this point either; they were too busy to even notice the fact that he'd stopped going to school. He was failing pretty much every class, not having a care in the world; after all, when someone has all the money they could ever need and more- what's the point of worrying about education and the reality of the working world? At 17 he finally realised how hard he fucked up and desperately tried to study harder again. He wanted to become the best in something, anything. And with the extra tuition that he could easily afford, he did just that; he gained a scholarship into Sina University, not that he needed it in the least, but it was good knowing that he actually did well enough to deserve a scholarship. And today he's just returned to the university life after the Christmas holidays and his 21st birthday; and the harsh reality of a new stack of essays he needs to write and complete by the damned deadline.

The dismissal of the lecturer echoed throughout the silent hall and the sound of feet walking up and down the stairs was relaxing yet tiring. Levi sighed quietly once more and stood up, shutting the laptop after having saved his notes and shoving it into the messenger bag he's never seen without. Simple, leather and black; it goes with any outfit Levi could possibly assemble together. Lingering around the campus for a few minutes, Levi finally leant against the concrete wall whilst waiting for certain biology major to finish her class. To be honest, he still wasn't quite sure how they became friends in the first place; after all, what the hell do two polar opposites like that even do together? She finally turned up, over 16 minutes late according to Levi's watch. But the deepass grin on her face told him that, oh boy he should not have waited for her. He was right. And that's how one of the most antisocial students on campus was walking probably one of the most hyperactive girls back to her flat whilst she talked his ear off about dissecting or some shit, he usually tuned out as soon as she mentioned her biology lab.

Since Hanji's flat's is closer, Levi drops her off and refuses her proposal of the two of them spending some 'quality time' watching 'quality movies' (romcoms) bluntly telling her that he has two essays to write by the end of the week and that he literally can't stay over. Of course they both know it’s not true; Levi can finish a 4 hour essay in 1 but Hanji knew that he needed his personal space a lot more than most people. In all honesty, she found it odd; personally she couldn’t begin to understand how his mind worked and how he could cope with being so heavily introverted; then again he probably couldn't understand how she was so extroverted.

With a suffocating hug, Hanji let Levi go and waved an eager goodbye before disappearing into her apartment complex, and Levi was left free to get back to his flat. Of course; he didn't. Instead, he opted for grabbing a Frappuccino at the nearest Starbucks. A shame he came at 2:30 though, Petra always finished up her shift just as his lectures ended on a Wednesday, but still. After grabbing the coffee to go, Levi winced at how bad the handwriting was; so unlike Petra's neat and clear loops.

 

 

Levi finally reached his apartment at about 2:40 and swiped the card through the lock, before opening and stepping inside. Every time he came inside, he was still surprised at just how different his decor is to that of the actual apartment complex. He bought a flat near the top of the building, however the pent house was already owned by someone else. Either way, he was very pleased with his flat; it was his, filled with vintage furniture, homely slogans and pictures on the walls, a beautiful wall length mirror; it was so different to what he was used to. He remembers his old house, the one his parents supposedly own, however it is much more accurate to say that their butler did. They were never home, after all. And it was always so empty; clinical, what the artists call 'modern'. Levi wasn't a fan of it at all.

He loved his own space; it was like stepping through a time field, from today, 200 years to the past. He loved it. Levi loved the spare bedroom he had converted into a library, books stacking up to the very top of the wall, old and new. He adored the living/kitchen area; it had a modern layout, but the designer he had hired years prior had done a beautiful job of connecting the two rooms nicely. And his bedroom was his favourite, long draping curtains and a queen sized bed with an oak desk pushed back to the side of the room. The best thing about his apartment was that it smelt clean, all the time, and even though Levi preferred the vintage decor for his house, he still made sure to have all the top quality cleaning products and electrics. He was a student, after all. A very spilt one, but still a student.

Sitting down on the small green couch, Levi sipped his coffee slowly, making sure not to burn his tongue. Taking the laptop out of the bag proved some challenge whilst holding a cup of coffee in the other hand, and with a small inner sigh, Levi realised he'd most likely have to put his coffee down for this. A shame really, but once he had placed the cup aside on a coaster on top of the coffee table, he slipped the laptop out with ease and quickly read through his notes from the lecture, nodding. After he finished his cup of coffee, he took it over to the sink to wash out the remains of the coffee from the paper cup, after which he threw it in the bin.

He spends the remainder of the day lounging around the house and re-reading Shakespeare's Hamlet, again, in the little reading spot he has made for himself out of pillows and blankets in the library, right under the window, with a blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. _'Fuck, I hate Hamlet.'_

 

 

He gave up on the book about two hours ago, deciding it was probably time to wonder aimlessly around the city taking pictures of whatever looks interesting. Levi wasn't really even a hobbyist, and yeah, sure he got that a load of those guys and chicks did it to be 'quirky' or whatever the fuck, but this was just easy. Sure he took English Literature as a course, but he really loved photography; the only two main reasons being that a) he didn't think that he'd have the patience to take portraits of dumb weddings all day, and b) it was too personal.

The main reason for his love of photographs was the fact that that small piece of technology, be it his phone, his digital or DSLR camera; it captured life and trapped it there in place forever. Sure it sounded stupid, and Hanji mocked him for being a 'hipster poser' but to be honest it inspired his writing as well. It was so much easier to conjure up scenes if he'd already had some sort of idea of different scenarios, different faces, objects and sights.

After walking around the backstreets and alley ways for an hour or something, Levi resurfaced back into the real life. He only took his phone when visiting those types of places, because although he could replace it thanks to his parents' never-ending supply of wealth- he didn't want to depend on them for stupid shit like this, especially when he could prevent it. That and it stopped any further muggins from happening. He could always give them the phone and lock it from the store; and you can't do that with cameras.

Wrinkling his nose, he tried to ignore the stench of everyday city life. The high street, filled with busy people, busy lives, sweaty old and gross men. _Ew._

Just as he was about to continue going straight, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small alleyway. Curiosity got the best of him and he managed to slip past the rummaging bodies into the small alley, with nowhere near as many people. Huh. He'd never been here before, but the first thing he did see was the small and vintage sign hung up above the store. _'Antiques'_. Levi let out a small sneer, making a note to congratulate the owner on the highly original name of their establishment, no matter how good the stock is.

Of course he went in.

Or he tried to, seeing as the door was locked. The raven tried a few more times, before concluding that it was useless, only then noticing the sign to his right 'Closed on Thursdays'. Wow, what a shitty day to be closed on. Maybe he'll come back one day.

 

 

 

That day turned out not to have come for at least 3 weeks, if his memory served him right- it wasn't easy to find any place in NY, especially when you didn't like the city centre. Like Levi. And to be honest, he had actually found the place a week and a half ago, just didn't see a point in walking in- there was nothing he needed.

Levi wasn't surprised about the small bell ringing as soon as he opened the store; it just seemed like the sort of store that would need something as stupid as that. Classic. Whoever owned this piece of shit was probably death and stupid as fuck if he hadn't heard that as no one was at the desk. With a small shrug, Levi decided to let himself wonder around the store, inspecting some items carefully, his first destination being the book case. Some of them looked fantastic; others not so much. He picked a single leather-bound book and sighed softly, as he wiped some of the dust off its spine. Gross.

He stopped cleaning the book off as he realised he was most likely being watched; the calm 1920s-esque song stopping and once he turned around he noticed a huge blond buff guy lifting the vinyl disk off the gramophone. Levi kept his eyes on the blue ones once they met without blinking, and he wondered who'd lose the imaginary competition made up in his brain first. As it turned out, he got bored ten seconds in and turned back to eyeing up the books.

"Excuse me, do you need any help?"

Wow that's a fucking deep baritone; he thought to himself but didn't comment on it before shaking his head and basically dismissing the stupid employee off. "Sorry, I doubt a dumb employee will know what I'm looking for." He watched the man's face and noted a twitch in his right eyebrow. Silently, he congratulated himself. Reaching back up, he placed the book back on its shelf, having to, unfortunately, stand on his toes to put it back.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked past the blond, heading straight for the jewellery section. He could practically feel those piercing blue eyes digging into his back, but he didn't care. At this point, he was pretty used to it. Most shops saw him as what this guy was probably presuming him to be; a strain on society, or some bullshit.

Levi turned around with a small sigh, and as expected, the blond was watching him from a few feet away. "So, have you got any late 19th to early 20th century pocket watches around here?" The blond man nodded after a few moments, probably trying to figure either Levi's age, or what were the intentions behind the actions.

"Yes, right this way." Levi raised an eyebrow at that, but followed the huge-ass bloke, wondering why on earth they're heading over to the cashier. The blond man pulled a drawer out and placed his to the side of the drawers. "We have a 1902 Waltham Full Hunter, a Hebdomas in silver circa early 20th century, an 18CT by W C Shaw of Glasgow, Scotland and many others, all of course, varying in price."

Levi nodded and shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets, more likely than not looking even more anti-social than usual. "You have the W C Shaw of Glasgow watchmakers?" He wondered how much it'd cost.

"Technically, as you can see, it is here; however I'm very fond of it, and wouldn't wish to sell this for any price." So hot and hunky was a bit of a tightass and might have possessive tendencies. Whatever, it’s not like it’s his problem; he'll probably never see the guy here again. "You know what-I'm leaving.

"Good luck with the rest of your 'life' or whatever." He stopped at the door momentarily, before turning around for a second to get one last look at the dumb and quite stupidly attractive man. "Yeah, and tell the manager he sucks dick for employing pervs onto his team."

"Thanks, I take that as a compliment-"

"It’s an insult to the boss, not you."

The man smirked slightly, and crossed his arms over his chest. "And as the boss of this establishment, I'm accepting it as a compliment."

 

 

As soon as Levi was out the door, he practically ran back home and once he shut the door to a slam, he slid down and looked over at the high ceiling, a small smile tracing his lips _‘Fuck; I just insulted an old man – I’m a bad human being.’_


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes, Levi found, being a university student has its drawbacks. Actually, it sucks all the time; you're expected to hand all this shit in on time and if you don't you fail but you're not even reminded about it and for someone like him; its shit. Thankfully, Hanji always pesters him about his work. And so when she turned up at his doorstep at 11PM he had to let her in, not wanting to piss off any of his neighbours any more than he already did on a daily basis. That's precisely the reason why he actually managed to complete his work on time, otherwise he was sure he'd have just watched Disney movies until like 3AM or something, and then whine about doing his work for a further hour before drinking three cups of coffee and working on his essay up until his 11 o'clock lecture. At least it’s done.

The lecture ended up being boring, as it usually was, considering Levi landed perhaps the most boring lecturer he could possibly get. So boring he didn't bother learning his name, he just turned up and took notes.

After the lecture, he made his way to the biology labs and dragged Hanji outside because "I need my coffee Hanji.", that and he wanted to just get his mind off a certain blonde he met last week- If that meant having to spend his free time with a woman who could kill someone just by being happy, then so be it. Not that he was complaining, sometimes it was nice to be around someone with so much energy; most of the time, it wasn't, but he had to admit she was great fun most of the time.

"This is shit." He mumbled against the rim of the cup of coffee he bought; who the fuck thought that 'Hazelnut Macchiato' was a good idea. "The first and last time I'm ordering this shit, seriously; gross." Levi pulled a face and raised an eyebrow as he noticed Hanji giggling like a little kid. "What the fuck are you-" He stopped as he realised that his face might not be entirely clean. Oh fuck. _Gross, shit, ew._ He twisted to his bag and picked out one of his disposable tissues, scooping some of that white fruffy crap, as he called it, from his upper lip and onto the white tissue. _Gross._

"Not another word-"  
"But that was hilarious and omg, I'm never letting you forget that, fuck-  
"Shut the fuck up, oh, my god."

There was a small period of silence, before Levi groaned and pressed his head into his arms on the table. "Hanji, help." To be honest, he didn't even know what he needed help with; or for that matter- how on earth to actually even bring the subject into conversation. It was just a petty annoyance that's all. He didn't like they guy or anything, plus he was probably like 10 years older than him or something. What was worse was he practically looked like a fucking comic book character. "Hanji, what's that comic book with the dude in the American flag get up?"

"Oh, you need help with comics? And are we on about the Avengers here? Cause if so its Captain America, why?" As soon as she said the name, Levi clicked his fingers, nodding, "That's the one."

"So… Why did you ask? Are you finally gonna start reading it? Shit, I've been trying to get you to read comics for years, why the sudden change?" She stirred her 'Caffé Americano', in Levi's opinion a stupidly formal way of saying 'regular', but still. After stirring it, Hanji brought it to her lips and took a few more sips of the coffee before leaning over the table and flicking Levi's forehead, finally resulting in him sitting back up again.

"It’s nothing to do with the damn comic, okay?" He mumbled and sighed, only to get up and go back over to the counter, this time buying a simple 'Earl Grey Brewed Tea', because fuck, he really needed to wash that disgusting taste from his mouth, and Earl Grey was probably gonna get rid of it easy, not to mention it’s one of his favourites.

When he came back to the table, he sat back down again and took the cup in both his hands, wanting to warm them up slightly as he took a small sip. "I met a guy who looks exactly like him."

"You met a guy? You. Actually _talked_ to someone? Mr I-Don't-Need-Interaction-With-Anyone-Ever actually spoke to someone enough to notice the way they looked?" Throughout her speech, she kept slowly leaning closer and closer across the table, adn quite frankly it was creeping Levi out, especially when combined with that intense look in her eyes, and that small glint.  
"Uh, yeah, you know I'm not as bad as you fucking make me out to be-"

"Levi."

Deciding that it was probably better not to answer, he decided to take a sip or 7 of his tea, finally relaxing again. "He owns an antiques shop."

"So when's the wedding?"

His eyes widening, he actually choked on his tea; _who the fuck says something like that?_ Hanji, apparently. After coughing for a good minute or so, he calmed down enough to take another sip of tea. Finally, he was able to look her in the eye again, speaking slowly to make sure the message was clear in her mind, "I met him once, insulted him and ran out of the shop; plus, I'm pretty sure someone like that wouldn't even look at me. so shut the fuck up; just, shut up."  
Nodding slowly, she sighed and looked up to the ceiling, moving one leg over the other. "Wow, you're so boring, I was just having some fun- You know, some of us still do that; you should try it one day." Pouting, Hanji looked away but not for that long, probably ten seconds or so, if Levi had to guess. "Anyway," She stretched the word's vowels like a child would, he was sure of that, but instead of getting up and leaving, as he should have, he listened up to what she had to say instead. "I wanna go out on Friday."

"No."  
"But Levi-"  
"You know I'm not any good at the whole 'people' shit." A pause, "That, and I usually end up pissed as fuck and I wake up fuck knows where at like 4 am and it’s usually in some random dude's bed."  
"When you say it like that it makes me feel guilty."  
"Good."  
"But-"  
"Fine."

Practically vibrating in her chair, Hanji grinned and drank the last of her coffee in one go. "Sweet, I'm so buzzed, are we gonna go down to Titan? Come on, it’s great there and its LGBT friendly, come on, please?"  


Levi just shrugged and took another few sips of his tea, before placing the cup down gently. "Hanji, I don't fucking care where we go, I'd prefer to stay at home and read books all night or watch movies, or something, but fine; as long as it’s a clean and safe place, I'm okay with it."

An eyebrow shot up as Hanji's pocket started playing some trashy song he didn't know, only for it to stop when she took the phone out of her jeans. It was a text, apparently, because soon after, she was at her feet with her bag over her shoulder, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, Moblit needs some help and well, I don't trust him with my experiment, the guy's great and all, but it’s my experiment, so-"

"Just go." He covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he yawned softly, "Fuck off and I'll see you on Friday or something."  
"Okay, grumpy, I'll see you Friday and I'll be round yours at like 8 or something!" She started making her way out of the shop, waving at him as he was just about to take another sip of his tea, only to be met with an empty cup.  


"Just my fucking luck." He sighed and stood up a few minutes later, taking his laptop bag and leaving the shop, heading home.

 

 

 

 

Soon after leaving Starbucks, it became apparent that no, he wasn't going home. In fact, he was going nowhere near home, and was walking in the direction of the Antiques shop once more. Not because he's curious about that guy or anything, that'd be ridiculous.

Pushing the door open, Levi stepped inside to the sound of a bell ringing, announcing he's there for him. He hadn't noticed this before, but the shop smelt really nice, like lavender or vanilla- he wasn't sure, he wasn't any good with flowers, but he knew it smelt of something sweet mixed with old paper that much was for sure.

He noted the owner of the shop must have been out back, because he wasn't behind the desk, so he helped himself and made his way over to the clothes section, finding a nice old sweater vest, if he had to pin point a timeframe to it, he'd say maybe the 1930s, and if not, then it was probably taking inspiration from the 30s; either way, he liked it. Simple, not that detailed, and a bargain from what he could see on the price tag. He held onto the hanger as he wandered around the rest of the store, and finally settling back next to the books.

Levi wasn't really sure when the blond returned into the room and sat back behind the counter, but he could see him out of the corner of his eye every so often, and at one point he made eye contact by accident, so naturally the only thing to do was to go back to looking at the books. He traced the spine of one of them and it was probably one of the most damaged editions of this book he's seen in his life. But as he flicked through it, it was clear he was going to buy it, because yes, it was damaged, but there were hand drawn illustrations all over the book's margins and the best thing was that he found an inscription on the back of the book. A strange place for it, but an inscription nonetheless.

Standing back up, he found himself looking at the other; straight into his bright blue eyes, as he walked over and placed the two items on the counter.

"I didn't think you'd come back." There it was, that deep voice echoing throughout the shop once more, followed by a small chuckle. "So, what changed your mind?"

Right now, Levi really wasn't in a state in which he would be able to actually respond to such questions, especially from the man he had been watching ever since he spotted him in the store a few minutes ago. What the fuck is wrong with me, he frowned to himself slightly, I don't even know this guy.

"Well, you were wrong then, weren't you." With a small huff, Levi crossed his arms over his chest, not exactly sure why though.  
The blond man rose one of those thick eyebrows and frowned slightly, looking at Levi's purchases, "You know, we have much nicer editions of this book; it’s fairly common, after all."

"Yeah, but I want that one."  
"Suit yourself."

The man behind the till typed the sum into his register, taking a $40 and printed the receipt for the boy. "So, how are you walking in here during school hours?"

"I'm 21."

"Oh, really?" He gave him his remaining change, but this guy's arrogant tone really pissed Levi off.

"Yes, really. What the fuck, am I supposed to be lying or some shit?" Levi really hated assholes like that. People who assumed he  
was a child, all because of his fucking height.

Holding his hands up midway in the air, the blue-eyed wonder smiled gently, in a way that made Levi want to puke; it was such a nice smile. "I was just saying, that it seems fairly convenient that you say you're 21, it is the official drinking age in Sina, after all."  
Grunting, Levi reached into his jacket again and took the change the man was still holding onto after having to stretch up a bit to get them. As he was putting the money away, he grabbed his driving licence out and covered his name with his finger, before shoving it in front of the other man's face. "There, look, my fucking photograph, I look dorky as fuck, my date of birth clearly fucking indicates I'm twenty fucking one."

The blond seemed a bit taken aback by the proof of age, but other than a slight widening of eyes, he didn't really react; at all. And that pissed Levi off even more. "You were born on Christmas Day?"

"Oh my god, what are you, blind? Yes, it clearly fucking states it right here." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair after having put the card away back into his wallet and pocket.

"Well, I suppose I have to believe you," The tall-ass tree leant over the counter slightly and held out his hand, "Erwin, Erwin Smith."

Levi glanced over at the hand as he grabbed the small bag with the book and sweater vest, but didn't shake it, just nodded and as turned to the door, he turned back around again momentarily, "Nice to meet you, Smith."

After all, he never did as for Levi's name, and Smith wasn't obliged to give him his name either. Sure, society would tell you to be polite and exchange information, but he preferred this as this was, well, no one knew him well enough to get close. And that was good, because getting close to someone was literally the last of his worries right now. He has an exam next week, and revision is  
prioritised over books and Disney tonight.

When he got home, the first thing he did was slip his shoes off in the hallway and place them down neatly on the shoe rack, before going to the utility room with the washing machine and throwing the new (or, well, old) sweater vest in there alongside some of his other laundry.

Once the washing cycle started, he frowned and hopped on top of the machine and leaned back, supporting himself with his arms as he looked up to the ceiling. "What a dumb name, 'Erwin Smith'"

 

"Who the fuck names their kid 'Erwin'?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Levi I have like twenty essays to write for yesterday, come on I don't have time for watching Disney movies with you." 

"But come on, Aladdin is only like 90 minutes- and 39 seconds, or at least my copy is." Levi frowned slightly and pulled his hair back, before looking at his annoying, loud and apparently stressed-out friend with the messy hair and the thick black rimmed glasses perched on her nose. "You can waste like just over an hour with me and if you want I'll cook you stuff- or alternatively, you can go and order some takeout."

There was a moment of silence, before Hanji finally gave in with a small groan, after which she just hopped onto the sofa and leant back. "You mentioned free food, I'm in. But," She made sure to turn to look at the raven and grinned wider than a Cheshire Cat on acid, probably, or that's what Levi thought anyway. "You've got to let me style your hair because we're going out tonight."

Levi rose an eyebrow at that, because a) he liked his hair this way, it was minimal effort and he only had to brush it out in the mornings, and b) he didn't like going out. At all. He wasn't exactly what you'd call a 'party person'; in fact he was quite the opposite, preferring to stay indoors, watching cheesy movies, Disney movies or marothoning a series. If Hanji was the resident extrovert, Levi was the resident introvert.

"Two questions, why and why. My hair's fine, and if you think you're dying it fucking pastel pink like that one time you've got another fucking thing coming." 

"You've gotta admit that it was great, especially everyone's reactions, oh my god it was great. Wait-" She shook her head and jumped over to sit by Levi that much closer, and in turn, he edged away as far as he could whilst still staying on the couch. "I got distracted, so Levi-" And of course, just like every other time, she disrespected his personal space rule and threw her arm around his shoulders and pulled him in. "We're leaving at 10. I'll grab some of my clothes from the spare room, after we watch Allidean or whatever-"

"It's Aladdin."

"Okay, anyway, we're going; you've been sulking all day for the last few days, not that you're usually happy and perky, but still you get the idea. You need this just as much as I do."

"...I thought you said you had, and let me quote; 'twenty essays, Levi'." A pause and he slapped her arm away, "Isn't that what you said?"

"Well, yeah, but essays can wait."  
"Hanji, they're due in tomorrow."

At that she actually stops and pouts at him before resolving the solution in her head. "Yeah, okay, but what if I do them after we come back."  
"You'll be too drunk."  
"Levi, I don't drink."

 

 

 

So after watching what Levi dubs the 'Triple A', Aladdin, Anastasia and Atlantis, he finally caves in to Hanji's wishes; he did just make her sit through like 5 hours of cartoons with him. Hanji sighed softly as she looked to the clock and just, "Levi, we have to leave in like half an hour, come on; hurry up." 

15 minutes later, Levi was dressed and waiting for Hanji who, it’s safe to say, wasn't overly pleased with his choice of clothing for the night. "Why does everything you wear look like you stepped out of a 90s grunge band?" A long-sleeved, tight fitting, white shirt with a short-sleeved black Pixies tour shirt over the top and black skinny jeans topped with black Martens wasn't exactly 'clubwear'. "Seriously, I hate your excuse of a 'wardrobe' so much, how are you the gay best friend."

"You're being stereotypical - Besides, I actually don't care what you think about my wardrobe, and its not like I'm trying to please anyone else so fuck you; I get to wear what I want." 

"We need to get you a boyfriend."

At that, Levi rose an eyebrow and watched with minimal concentration as Hanji did her make up. Leaning backwards on the bed, he looked to the ceiling with his arms folded under his head. "The last time you tried setting me up with someone, we went on one date and he was freaked out about my blank face for like the next two weeks so he avoided both of us; like everyone else before him."

Levi knew he wasn't the most traditionally appealing guy; he was short, but not skinny as would be expected of him - instead, he had a thicker build and a face that either looked like he didn't care about anything in the world, or that he despised every single idiot in whatever room or public space he was in. "Also I think I like someone."

That got Hanji's attention in a flash and she turned around, somehow managing to forget she was in the middle of doing her eyeliner and smeared it across half her face. She muttered a small string of mild swears but then just wiped it off and redid the line on her left upper lid again. "Oh my god, you actually like someone? Like like?"

"You're like a big kid sometimes."  
"And you act like you're a middle aged parent of 8 children constantly checking their bills and loans, but hey, I'm not complaining."  
"Actually, that was a complaint, so-"  
"Levi just shut up and answer me; who is it?"  
"That's for me to know and you not to interfere with."

"Sometimes you suck so fucking much, I can't believe you; you're so boring."  
Bright beating lights, loud pumping music and a bunch of hormonal morons; this is exactly the type of place Levi tries to avoid at all costs. He can hardly hear himself think, and even less Hanji yelling into his ear so after a few minutes of standing looking like an idiot in the midst of this hellhole, Levi decides to retreat to the one safe spot in the entire establishment; the bar. 

He drinks through probably one or maybe three beer cans, he isn't sure, and he can already feel the effects of the alcohol stirring through his body. Hell, he never claimed he was able to hold his alcohol well. 

Sure enough, within the next few moments, or maybe half an hour (he knew it was at least on his sixth or seventh beer); someone walks over to the bar and starts talking to him, ordering another drink. Levi opens his eyes and takes a small look only to find that the gracious donor of his next drink, a glass of whiskey, is a small blonde girl. She's blabbering on about something he can't even hear over the blast of the music, before he sees her coming closer and leaning in, saying something about taking her outside. 

Not knowing what to do, his head raced through the different decisions before quickly blurting out the 'forbidden' g word in a regular nightclub. "I'm gay."

He didn't expect a slap or anything, but he was surprised to see that the girl acted calmly about it; amazing considering he doubted she was even 18. The girl leant back up to his ear, making sure to speak up loud and clear to be able to be heard, "I meant taking you outside; you look very drunk and someone will probably take advantage of you."

Levi's first reaction was to laugh, instead, he pushed her away from him not liking the personal space they suddenly seemed to share. " 'm not... I'm not drunk." He sighed softly and leant back up against the bar counter. "I'll be fine, go have fun with your fake ID, or sm'thn."

Apparently, that did earn him a slap, because suddenly his cheek was stinging and the girl left without turning around, but not before letting him know that she's 22 and so perfectly legal. Levi's only response was a grunted "Sure." before he went to grab the drink she had ordered beforehand. In one swig he had drank the remainder of the golden liquid and leant back up against the counter, feeling down all of a sudden when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice in his ear. 

"Levi, come on, you weren't supposed to get drunk."  
"I'm not."

"Of course, you don't get drunk, how damn dumb of me, huh? - Come on we're going back to your apartment."  
"Just one more drink."  
"Levi, come on."  
"Hanji, please its jus' one more."

 

Needless to say, the night wasn't exactly what Hanji had planned, especially considering that what she really wanted was to just have some fun and cheer Levi up, but she should have known that losing him for a minute is enough to get that man drunk as shit. With a lot of effort, mainly due to the fact that Levi's a lot heavier than he looks, they finally made it back to Levi's flat and just as they entered, Hanji stilled and looked away as the drunkard made a mess of his wooden floor before slipping out of her hold and almost falling over, holding onto the wall with his life.

"Hanji, Han... Hange...Ham, Hanji can you clean up my puke."

"Levi, you're being gross."  
"Hanji-"  
"Fine."

She lifted him up again and brought him to bed, lying him down before rushing off to grab a bucket and a glass of water, "Levi, I'm putting the bucket on your bed stand so if you feel sick just puke in there and here-" The brunette practically shoved the glass in his face, causing him to flinch slightly. "Drink up, you need to rehydrate, otherwise you'll feel even shittier tomorrow during lectures."

Levi let out a small grunt and if he had been in a better state, he'd have rolled his eyes snapping back some sharp tongued comment, but as it was that wasn't the case; he was drunk, tired and not in control of himself so when he tried to say 'I know that.' it came out as a long slurred gibberish word, making no sense to either of them.

 

About 4 hours later, he stirred when Hanji shook him, informing him of the fact that her lecture was in 45 minutes so she'd have to go soon and asking if he wanted anything because she'll come back and check up on him. He shook his head and groaned as he opened his eyes slightly, the light burnign his eyesight. "Why is everythin' so g'ddamn bright..." 

"Because you're hungover."

Levi frowned slightly and turned to face her at last, only really just seeing her when paying close attention. Mumbling something under his nose, he rose his voice slightly, "It’s your fault I'm hungover."

Frowning, Hanji bit the inside of her cheek, before pointing at him with a finger. "You're the one who's been drinking, I didn't tell you to drink." She paused for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say and how to phrase it properly. "And it’s not my fault that you get pissed on Vimto."

"It wasn't Vimto." Growling, the man rolled over and brought his pillow over his head and most importantly, his ears as to stop listening to his friend and her 'help'.

 

There was a brief few moments of silence followed by a sigh from Hanji, who stood up and headed for the door and to the kitchen. She leant against one of the counters as she waited for the toast to get done, and stuck the kettle on, knowing Levi will want some tea. It wasn't that far of a walk from here to the university, so she can afford to make him some food and well, she doubted he'd take care of himself well if she didn't do this. 

"God, you're such a fucking dumbass." She muttered under her breath. Being friends with Levi was frustrating at best and unbearable at worst; he had his mood swings and his compulsions and it was difficult to know what he was going to do. She knew that he wasn't in the best of crowds throughout high school, but you wouldn't think that of someone who got offered everything on a golden plate. 

At the sound of the toast being ready, Hanji jumped up and out of her thoughts, focusing on spreading a thin layer of butter over the two pieces of bread, and reminding herself not to add any other foods to it as Levi's stomach probably couldn't handle anything more at this point. Once the toast was ready, she poured some of the boiled water from the kettle into a cup and after about 40 seconds, she took out the tea bag. At this point, she knew Levi wouldn't want a strong tea but him without his tea is like admitting that the world's run by cows. Its not natural.

Opening the door to his bedroom carefully, she walked past and set the plate and tea on his bedside, having removed the bucket and placed it on the floor before even going to the kitchen. "Levi, I've made you some toast, you need something to eat but yeah, also here's some tea and later on you can go make yourself some water or something, I'm going to be late, so I've gotta rush."

"M'kay." He turned over to face her and smiled faintly, or attempted to. "Thanks."

"Just don't set your flat on fire whilst I'm gone."

"M'kay."

"Levi, I'm serious."

"I know."

"I'm going now."

He nodded and smiled again, watching as Hanji left the room and slowly bringing his attention back to the food on the table. "Gross." His stomach wasn't even hungry at this point. Ew. 

Sighing softly, he managed to get up without upsetting his insides even more, before reaching over for the tea and sipping it carefully as to avoid burning his tongue. About half an hour later, and after having eaten about one and a half of the two toasts that Hanji provided, he turned the TV on and started watching Lilo and Stitch again.

 

He managed to get up at half twelve and was about to go for a shower when an annoying knocking sound persisted at the door. At first, he was going to ignore it. There was no need for anyone to have been wanting to talk to him, and no one was supposed to come round, except Hanji but she had her own keys. 

With a small sigh, Levi turned to the door after the visitor started ringing repeatedly and just "I'm coming, I'm coming, hang the fuck on a second." Pulling his hair back, he glanced down and figured that whoever it was could deal with the fact that he was only in his boxers and stank of alcohol. As quickly as he opened the door, he slammed it shut after catching a glimpse of who it was. Swallowing his pride, he sighed softly and opened it back again, letting the visitor in without another word.

The visitor sat down in the pristine living room and looked around, noticing all the little 'pieces of clutter' as she liked to call them. Levi stared at her with an impassive gaze for a few moments before asking, demanding, her what she was doing here.

"Is that really how you treat your own mother, Levi?"

"When its you, Sophie, yes." He really wasn't in the mood for this. And he certainly didn't want to have this conversation practically nude especially with his mother's judging gaze, scrutinizing his entire way of life with those eerie and lifeless grey eyes he'd inherited from her. 

"Please put some clothes on, I need to talk to you."

Levi shook his head and turned around, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table before going out to stand by the window at which his mother wrinkled her nose. "Those things are going to kill you, dear."

"Good, maybe then I won't have to have this conversation with you." After finishing the cigarette, Levi stubbed it out on the ashtray and grabbed a towel, going into the shower because quite frankly, he was not going to put on clean clothes onto a dirty body. Gross. He took his phone into the bathroom and sent Hanji a quick text, telling her not to bother coming that his mother's visiting. 

_This is going to be a long day._

**Author's Note:**

> also note in the fact i know nothing about universities or antiques so this is all just research lazy one at that okay heh


End file.
